"Writing about music is like dancing about archetecture."
-Frank Zappa
I've been away for a while being busy and working and I've not kept up with things on the board. But what I'm seeing is that folks are considering the connection between identity and the music they like. We all do this. I think a connection to music is indeed an ongoing developmental process where one goes from simply enjoying the sound of someone's songs to developing a connection with the image of the person.
This is why Pop (and other children's music) is so heavy on promoting the person/band image and in some cases, the music is secondary. So, if we identify with the performer, is it any wonder we bristle when someone says that performer is substandard?
Some folks superimpose musical taste on others because of image. One of my clients, a kid about 16 years old came up to me and said "Hey man, you look like Moby." I laughed and said thank you and wondered to myself if Gwen Stefani would ever lick the back of MY head. (see the Southside video) Later, the young man was in a really bad mood and was spitting insults at every adult within earshot when he looked at me and said, "Moby sucks!" right before flipping me the bird. I then realized that this kid was trying to make me angry by going at what he thought was part of my identity...simply because I looked like Moby. Very strange.
I wore out my David+David album but didn't connect with the identities of Baerwald+Ricketts(sp?). I was 16, living in a small suburban neighborhood and lyrically it was way too Adult and Los Angeles for me. And this is a sign of a strong album...I didn't need to relate to it to love it. I'm 32 now and Boomtown makes a lot more sense and is still heard with great frequency in my home.
So...now, we DB fans get to try things in reverse (to an extent.) We've had the opportunity to get to know a bit more about DB through his posts here on the website. Does that connection influence how we hear the music? (I haven't purchased the new disc yet as I'm pinching pennies to buy a house.)
One more thing: A commonality with humans is that we try to gather together in groups. One way to keep a group cohesive is to eschew anything different. So, if you feel like you're part of a team based on who you listen to, then you'll tend to rationalize reasons why everyone else sucks. The most liberating thing in my life is learning to like all music for what it is. In my youth, I was primarily a prog. rock-Rushhead-mathmetal type (in other words, I played dungeons and dragons and didn't date much.) If it didn't have at least 4 time changes and was under 10 minutes long, I didn't dig it. But now I'm in a jangly three-chord-on-a-warm-day alt. country band. I grew up.
Remember, arguing with someone online is like wrestling with a pig. You both get dirty but the pig loves it.
Twang.
PRH
Re: Some observations....
P
Paul
(view)
"Writing about music is like dancing about archetecture."
-Frank Zappa
I've been away for a while being busy and working and I've not kept up with things on the board. But what I'm seeing is that folks are considering the connection between identity and the music they like. We all do this. I think a connection to music is indeed an ongoing developmental process where one goes from simply enjoying the sound of someone's songs to developing a connection with the image of the person.
This is why Pop (and other children's music) is so heavy on promoting the person/band image and in some cases, the music is secondary. So, if we identify with the performer, is it any wonder we bristle when someone says that performer is substandard?
Some folks superimpose musical taste on others because of image. One of my clients, a kid about 16 years old came up to me and said "Hey man, you look like Moby." I laughed and said thank you and wondered to myself if Gwen Stefani would ever lick the back of MY head. (see the Southside video) Later, the young man was in a really bad mood and was spitting insults at every adult within earshot when he looked at me and said, "Moby sucks!" right before flipping me the bird. I then realized that this kid was trying to make me angry by going at what he thought was part of my identity...simply because I looked like Moby. Very strange.
I wore out my David+David album but didn't connect with the identities of Baerwald+Ricketts(sp?). I was 16, living in a small suburban neighborhood and lyrically it was way too Adult and Los Angeles for me. And this is a sign of a strong album...I didn't need to relate to it to love it. I'm 32 now and Boomtown makes a lot more sense and is still heard with great frequency in my home.
So...now, we DB fans get to try things in reverse (to an extent.) We've had the opportunity to get to know a bit more about DB through his posts here on the website. Does that connection influence how we hear the music? (I haven't purchased the new disc yet as I'm pinching pennies to buy a house.)
One more thing: A commonality with humans is that we try to gather together in groups. One way to keep a group cohesive is to eschew anything different. So, if you feel like you're part of a team based on who you listen to, then you'll tend to rationalize reasons why everyone else sucks. The most liberating thing in my life is learning to like all music for what it is. In my youth, I was primarily a prog. rock-Rushhead-mathmetal type (in other words, I played dungeons and dragons and didn't date much.) If it didn't have at least 4 time changes and was under 10 minutes long, I didn't dig it. But now I'm in a jangly three-chord-on-a-warm-day alt. country band. I grew up.
Remember, arguing with someone online is like wrestling with a pig. You both get dirty but the pig loves it.
Twang.
PRH
-Frank Zappa
I've been away for a while being busy and working and I've not kept up with things on the board. But what I'm seeing is that folks are considering the connection between identity and the music they like. We all do this. I think a connection to music is indeed an ongoing developmental process where one goes from simply enjoying the sound of someone's songs to developing a connection with the image of the person.
This is why Pop (and other children's music) is so heavy on promoting the person/band image and in some cases, the music is secondary. So, if we identify with the performer, is it any wonder we bristle when someone says that performer is substandard?
Some folks superimpose musical taste on others because of image. One of my clients, a kid about 16 years old came up to me and said "Hey man, you look like Moby." I laughed and said thank you and wondered to myself if Gwen Stefani would ever lick the back of MY head. (see the Southside video) Later, the young man was in a really bad mood and was spitting insults at every adult within earshot when he looked at me and said, "Moby sucks!" right before flipping me the bird. I then realized that this kid was trying to make me angry by going at what he thought was part of my identity...simply because I looked like Moby. Very strange.
I wore out my David+David album but didn't connect with the identities of Baerwald+Ricketts(sp?). I was 16, living in a small suburban neighborhood and lyrically it was way too Adult and Los Angeles for me. And this is a sign of a strong album...I didn't need to relate to it to love it. I'm 32 now and Boomtown makes a lot more sense and is still heard with great frequency in my home.
So...now, we DB fans get to try things in reverse (to an extent.) We've had the opportunity to get to know a bit more about DB through his posts here on the website. Does that connection influence how we hear the music? (I haven't purchased the new disc yet as I'm pinching pennies to buy a house.)
One more thing: A commonality with humans is that we try to gather together in groups. One way to keep a group cohesive is to eschew anything different. So, if you feel like you're part of a team based on who you listen to, then you'll tend to rationalize reasons why everyone else sucks. The most liberating thing in my life is learning to like all music for what it is. In my youth, I was primarily a prog. rock-Rushhead-mathmetal type (in other words, I played dungeons and dragons and didn't date much.) If it didn't have at least 4 time changes and was under 10 minutes long, I didn't dig it. But now I'm in a jangly three-chord-on-a-warm-day alt. country band. I grew up.
Remember, arguing with someone online is like wrestling with a pig. You both get dirty but the pig loves it.
Twang.
PRH
